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Caldwell to celebrate completion of interchange;
public dedication planned Tuesday

About a year and a half after reconstruction of the Franklin Interchange in Caldwell began, a dedication ceremony with local and state leaders will celebrate its completion Tuesday (July 8). The old two-lane overpass, built in 1966, has been replaced with a four-lane roadway that has dual left and dual right turn lanes. The new interchange ramps are longer and wider to accommodate more traffic at the busy intersection.

Crews embarked on the reconstruction in December 2006. The rebuilt interchange nearly doubles the capacity of the overpass (from the current 17,700 vehicles per day to a an anticipated 29,500 vehicles per day), eases congestion on interchange ramps and improves access to Caldwell from I-84.

The new overpass has two through-lanes in both directions and dual left-turn lanes in both directions.

Ramps were lengthened and widened to two lanes at their intersection with Franklin. The project also involved widening Franklin Road from two to five lanes between the overpass and Specht Avenue. The new road will have curbs, gutters, sidewalks and a bicycle lane.

Final striping and signal work took placed in early July.

The ceremony will feature several big-name speakers, including ITD Board Chairman Darrell V Manning, Senate Transportation Committee Chairman John McGee, Caldwell Mayor Garret Nancolas and College of Idaho President Robert Hoover. Local officials will pour the last piece of concrete on the reconstructed roadway to commemorate the project completion.

Concrete Placing Co. of Boise was the contractor for the $24.8 million project.

The project included several safety updates, including new traffic signals at the Aviation Way/Franklin Road intersection, a 249-foot median barrier on Franklin Road and new truck approaches near the Flying J and Sage Travel Plaza.

The ceremony will be near the Sage Travel Plaza.